The keyhole
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The keyhole |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1933 |
| length | 69 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Curtiz |
| script | Robert Presnell Sr. |
| production | Warner Brothers |
| music | William Franke Harling |
| camera | Barney McGill |
| cut | Ray Curtiss |
| occupation | |
| |
The Keyhole is a 1933 American film starring Kay Francis . It is the first film by the screen couple Kay Francis and George Brent .
action
Ann Brooks is married to the much older but very rich Schyler Brooks. One day she is lured into a compromising situation and blackmailed by her ex-husband Maurice on the pretext that he would otherwise commit suicide after Maurice reveals to her that they are not legally divorced. Ann flees the scandal under her maiden name to Havana and on board the ship meets Neil Davis, a detective whom her husband has sent to follow Ann as an observer. They both fall in love and after Ann's first husband dies and her current husband agrees to divorce, Neil and Ann can enjoy a future together.
background
1932 was the annus mirabilis for Kay Francis , who not only switched from Paramount and the status of a supporting actress as a star and with higher salaries to Warner Brothers . She had also appeared in two of her best films ever: Journey of No Return next to William Powell and Trouble in Paradise , for which she had personally brought Ernst Lubitsch back to Paramount. In the following year, Francis was already firmly established as a popular actress in romantic love stories. With The Keyhole , the studio once again gave the actress a story that contained all the components that awaited female fans: soulful adventures in a luxurious setting, dramatic entanglements, an elegant hero and a happy ending. Francis, who had the reputation of being one of the best-dressed women in the film business, changed clothes twenty-three times in the course of the almost 70-minute storyline.
The film presented Francis again as a self-confident woman who is open to all strokes of fate and has her own ideas about life and love in particular. When she finds her ex-husband safe and sound at the beginning of the plot instead of dying, she says sarcastically:
“Next time you try to kill yourself, let me know. I will love to help you with this. "
The Keyhole first paired Francis with George Brent , who had also gained fame the previous year. The studio had originally tried to use William Powell for the male part, but the actor refused. Francis and Brent subsequently formed a popular screen couple . The studio shot the film in 25 days on a budget of just $ 167,000, which was the average for a Warner production, but below what MGM spent on a B-movie . The advertising slogan for the film was a bit unsubtle:
"Don't watch this movie if you are afraid of finding out what's on the other side of the keyhole."
The material was filmed again by director Michael Curtiz in 1948 under the title Magic Nights in Rio and made Doris Day , who made her screen debut , a star.
criticism
The New York Times liked the film and the star:
“(The plot) has its amusing moments. Miss Francis plays her role with the necessary ease. "
The Los Angeles Examiner read similar positives:
“Apart from the usual numerous dresses for Miss Francis, Kay is arguably one of the most pleasant and engaging personalities that the screen has to offer. The complete lack of artificiality is what makes Miss Francis so refreshingly different. "
Theatrical release
The production costs were only 167,000 US dollars, which, however, corresponded to the usual editing for a Kay Francis film of the time. In the US, The Keyhole grossed $ 301,000, with a further $ 227,000 from abroad. Total revenues were $ 528,000.
Web links
- The keyhole in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Background information - English
- Background information and original cinema trailers at Turner Classic Movies
Footnotes
- ^ The next time you try to kill yourself, let me know. I'd love to help you.
- ↑ Kay Francis' life and career ( Memento from September 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Don't come, if you're afraid to see what's on the other side of THE KEYHOLE!
- ↑ [The plot] has many amusing moments. Miss Francis acts her role with the desired lightness.
- ↑ Aside from the usual display of wardrobe given Miss Francis, there is Kay herself as warm and appealing a personality the screen has to offer. Ther is a lack of artificality about Miss Francis that makes her refreshing.